Spatial Awareness?

Ray has always exhibited signs of having spatial awareness issues, in that he does not seem to know where his body is at times!

When we first brought him home, he had considerable difficulty deciding where to plant his back feet in order to get up steps. We just assumed that his earlier life (suspected to be on a farm), gave him no experience of steps and, in fairness to Ray, he soon mastered the technique necessary to go up and down them!

If he walks past me though, I will often feel one of his feet on top of one of mine, which is not a particularly pleasant experience if I don’t have shoes on! More recently, I was stretched out on my bed trying to have a nap when Ray decided to join me. For some reason only known to Ray, he wanted to be on the other side of me and decided to use me as a “stepping stone”! Again, the feet of a 76lbs dog are very noticeable when planted on one’s stomach!

The other evening, after I had gone to bed, Carol could not resist using her iPad camera to capture Ray!

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Above: Ray seems rather close to the edge and, if he stretched his legs, would probably push himself over the edge. Has he no idea where his body is relative to the edge?

Below: Carol resolved the situation by extending the sofa for him!

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Below: Off all the places he had to choose from, this was clearly his choice for the evening, although I would suggest that there were far more comfortable options available to him!

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Of course I have to remember that this is the same dog that jumped off a viewing platform that overlooked a creek some 100ft below us (story is in his book), so I really should not be surprised should I!.

41 thoughts on “Spatial Awareness?”

  2. Sam isn’t too bad on spatial awareness, but the sheepdogs were constantly walking on the tops of my feet. I always said it was good that I walk on the soles of my feet and not the tops! In their own beds, they curl up in tight balls, on furniture they tend to expand and often appear as though they might fall off. But so far, no accidents…for which I’m grateful. 🙂

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  4. I have had 2 year olds walk on me. Seems about the same thing only they usually don’t weight that much. We have a very large otomon (aptly renamed our most expensive dog bed) that I have to pull up against the couch now or Lucy would fall off the couch.

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  12. I share Ray’s short comings. There are often times when I walk into a doorway because of misjudgment. I usually know where to plunk my butt on a chair though. Great pictures of a very content but contorted dog.

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    • I have your problem! I often hit my shoulder as I go through a doorway; stub my toe on table legs and, just yesterday, tripped over an empty warehouse pallet laying on the floor in our local supermarket! Apparently I do have peripheral vision shortcomings, but they are not “short” enough to qualify for surgery! 🙂

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  13. He looks so adorable all curled up. Nice of Carol to give him a little more room so that he didn’t fall. Dogs do have a way of putting themselves in awkward situations at times.
    Our Yorkie likes to walk on us also, like you described about Ray, But… there may be just a tad weight difference there. 🙂

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